1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of Web 2.0 applications and, more particularly, to customizing Web 2.0 application behavior based on relationships between a content creator and a content requester.
2. Description of the Related Art
Web 2.0 applications promote collaboration and information sharing among large groups of users. The fundamental principles of Web 2.0 applications grant end-users (those users other than the originator) the privileges to read, write, and update existing applications, actions traditionally restricted to application developers. Additionally, Web 2.0 applications depend upon the collaborative effort of end-users to provide new content and revise existing content. For example, the entries of WIKIPEDIA, a Web 2.0 encyclopedia application, are created and revised by end-users, allowing information to be added and revised as it becomes available.
What is not possible with Web 2.0 applications today is a way to personalize a created Web 2.0 application so that it behaves differently depending on who is accessing it. For example, a user cannot currently create a social networking page (e.g., MYSPACE.COM) so that different content is presented to a specific user, such as a best friend, than that presented to the general public. Neither can a user create a BLOG or a WIKI so that it permits different users to receive different content. Personalizing Web 2.0 applications in a requester specific manner as used herein does not refer to password protecting or otherwise securing content so that it is unavailable to unauthorized requesters, but instead refers to customizing content based on a requester identity which can occur in a manner transparent to the requester. Conventional Web 2.0 applications do not currently support these requester specific customizations.